There was a cynical undercurrent that marked Christian Pulisic's £57.7million transfer to Chelsea last month.
The American is a player with the weight of a nation on his shoulders - the star name set to catapult soccer into the homes of 325 million people. That makes him a lucrative acquisition and, so the line goes, Chelsea wanted a piece of it.
That simplicity ignores the fact that Pulisic might actually be able to play pretty well.
Against Tottenham in the Champions League on Wednesday night, he had the chance to show why the west London club's outlay was more than just an encroachment into another market.
Chelsea supporters were given a first look at their £57.7million signing Christian Pulisic
The American winger, 20, has featured only intermittently this season for the German side
And while he wasn't able to endear himself to his new club's supporters in the best way possible - by inflicting a defeat on their London rivals - he was able to offer glimmers of real quality, although any expectation of a like-for-like for Eden Hazard may have to be parked, for now.
The wideman has featured only intermittently this season for Dortmund during their assault on the Bundesliga title - perhaps unsurprising considering the indomitable rise of Jadon Sancho.
Domestic eyes again here drifted towards the young Englishman - the intoxicating allure of an English wing-wizard strutting his stuff on Wembley's hallowed turf too much to ignore.
Sancho's guile and flair saw him again excel but he was only one part of a front three that for long spells in the first half terrorised Tottenham's back-three of Juan Foyth, Toby Aldeweireld and Davinson Sanchez.
Pulisic, making only his 14th start of the season, was a key part of Dortmund's excellent start.
The 20-year-old started the game brightly and by the interval, Tottenham wing-back Serge Aurier would need a lie down.
But he showed moments of real class and caused Tottenham's defence a number of problems
Pulisic has electric pace but he also has a rawness to his game, showing room to improve
The winger drifted over to the left flank and after 12 minutes he had the Ivorian in the book. Two flicks of his left boot and he was away, but just as he threatened to break clear, Aurier clipped his heels.
It was a hint
